Nashville Hot Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 cbuttermilk
- 2 tbsphot sauce
- 12chicken tenders
or 3 chicken breasts sliced into tender strips
- Vegetable oil
for frying
- 1 ½ cvegetable oil
- 3guajillo chiles
left whole
- ¼ cdark chili powder
- ¼ csmoked paprika
- ¼ ccayenne pepper
- ¼ cred pepper
- 4 ozbrown sugar
- 3 ozcayenne pepper
- 1 ozground cinnamon
- 1 ozdark chili powder
- 1 ozsmoked paprika
- 1 ozground white pepper
- 1 ozkosher salt
- 1 lball-purpose flour
- 2 ozcoarse black pepper
- 1 ozsmoked paprika
- 1 ozcelery salt
- 1 ozkosher salt
- ½ ozgarlic powder
- ½ ozonion powder
- ½ ozthyme
- 12Hawaiian sweet slider rolls
- 1red onion
- Pickled cucumber slices
for serving
Directions
- 1
For the chicken: Pour the buttermilk and hot sauce over the chicken in a shallow dish. Let sit for 15 minutes.
- 2
Preheat a deep-fryer or a large Dutch oven filled with 3 inches oil to 325 degrees F. Line a sheet tray with a wire rack.
- 3
For the chile oil: Add the oil, chiles, chili powder, smoked paprika, cayenne and crushed red pepper to a medium saucepan and place over medium heat. Allow the oil to come to a simmer, then turn off the heat and let the chiles steep in the oil for 5 minutes. Strain and let cool.
- 4
For the shake: Add the brown sugar, cayenne pepper, cinnamon, chili powder, smoked paprika, white pepper and salt to a bowl. Stir to combine and set aside until later.
- 5
For the dredge: Add the flour, pepper, smoked paprika, celery salt, kosher salt, garlic powder, onion powder and thyme to a very large bowl or shallow dish. Add the marinated chicken pieces, one by one, and pat the dredge onto the chicken, creating little crackles in the chicken piece.
- 6
Shake off any excess dredge and add the chicken to the fryer. Fry in batches, turning occasionally, until just slightly golden and it has an internal temperature of 165 degrees F, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from the oil and let rest on the wire rack until just cool to touch. Add back to the fryer and double-fry until super golden brown, about 3 minutes. Drain again on the wire rack.
- 7
Dip the fried chicken in the chile oil and add to a shallow dish. Dust each piece with the shake thoroughly until no oil is apparent on both sides.
- 8
To serve: Split the Hawaiian rolls in half. Put a tender between each roll, then top with the sliced onion and a pickle chip or two.
Nashville Hot Chicken
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About this Recipe
Get Ready to Sizzle with Nashville Hot Chicken Sliders!
Craving that fiery, flavorful crunch of authentic Nashville Hot Chicken? Look no further! This incredible recipe, inspired by Eric Greenspan, brings the iconic spicy fried chicken experience right to your kitchen, perfectly portioned into irresistible sliders. It’s a bold, buttermilk-marinated, and chile-loaded dish that promises to ignite your taste buds and become a new favorite.
What makes this Nashville Hot Chicken truly special is the thoughtful layering of flavor and heat. We start with tender chicken, deeply marinated in buttermilk and hot sauce, ensuring every bite is juicy and flavorful. This crucial step not only infuses the chicken with tang but also helps tenderize it for that perfect texture after deep-frying.
But the real magic happens with the signature hot oil glaze. A vibrant blend of guajillo chiles, dark chili powder, smoked paprika, and plenty of cayenne pepper creates an intoxicatingly spicy and aromatic coating that adheres beautifully to the crispy fried chicken. The subtle sweetness from brown sugar and a hint of cinnamon in the seasoning blend adds another dimension, balancing the intense heat for a truly addictive experience.
Serving these spicy fried chicken sliders on soft Hawaiian sweet rolls with crisp, thinly sliced red onion and tangy pickled cucumber slices isn't just a suggestion—it's essential! The cool, refreshing elements provide a much-needed counterpoint to the powerful heat, creating a symphony of flavors and textures in every single bite. Prepare for a truly unforgettable meal that brings the heat and the flavor!